One pint of blood worth the price of admission at movie theater

NAPLES — They may not be vampires but they still cherish your blood.

NCH Community Blood Center workers will collect the valued red stuff from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Hollywood Theatres, Coconut Point mall, Estero. Successful donors receive one free movie ticket.

Also Saturday, a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the Bed Bath & Beyond Plaza at the northwest corner of Airport-Pulling and Pine Ridge roads in Naples. This blood drive is being held in conjunction with a sidewalk celebration and food drive to benefit St. Matthew’s House, which urgently needs: powdered and evaporated milk, oatmeal, dry cereal, dry beans, peanut butter in small jars, jelly, canned tuna, canned fruits insect repellent/bug spray, bottled water, pasta and sauce, diapers sizes 3-6 and baby wipes.

Anyone attending the Bed Bath & Beyond Plaza event can also enter into a 50/50 prize drawing and a prize rally to win any of the following prizes: one-year AAA Membership; a $100 American Express gift card from Hillcrest Bank; a black garment bag/free monogram from Embroid Me, a $60 value; a 30-day Jenny Craig membership; a free Oreck vacuum cleaner - $400 value; diamond earrings from Paradise Jewelry, $250 value; a $50 Subway gift certificate; and the grand prize — a $500 AAA travel certificate.

People can give blood if they are at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds. There is no maximum age limit to donate, however. Most medications will not prevent someone from donating blood, including but not limited to, aspirin, blood pressure, cholesterol and thyroid medications, insulin. People who wish to schedule a blood drive at their location should contact Laura Rosen at laura.rosen@NCHmd.org or (239) 436-5303.